Miami AD Dan Radakovich Weighs in on the Hurricanes' Case for the CFP
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No. 12 Miami has started its campaign to get in the College Football Playoff, and hot off the presses is its Athletic Director, Dan Radakovich, listing all the reasons why his team should be in.
From the Desk of Dan Radakovich:
The Canes turned in an emphatic performance in our regular season finale at Pittsburgh Saturday, dominating the Panthers 38-7 for our 10th win of the season. It marks the first time Miami has posted double-digit wins in consecutive seasons since 2002-03.
Eight of our 10 wins have been by 17 or more points, and over the last four games Mario Cristobal’s squad has outscored the opposition 151-41. The offense has been clicking on all cylinders and the defense has been at its ferocious best. In short, if you’re in the eye test business the Canes have the look of a College Football Playoff team.
Miami is 12th in the current CFP rankings, the latest of which will be revealed tomorrow night. There are a cluster of two-loss teams (plus 11-1 BYU) that sit between eighth and 13th. The Canes have the most statistically balanced team amongst that group – ranking 12th in total defense and 29th in total offense.
The Canes rank sixth in the latest Sagarin rankings, ahead of seven SEC teams with either one or two losses – Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Texas and Oklahoma. Miami has five wins over teams in Sagarin’s Top 40.
Miami also ranks seventh in ESPN’s FPI’s rankings – ahead of one-loss Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and BYU — and boast five wins over FPI Top 40 teams. Only Oklahoma and Alabama have more (and the Crimson Tide lost by two touchdowns at 5-7 Florida State). The Canes are ninth in the latest SP+ rankings, ahead of two-loss Utah, Vanderbilt, Alabama and Oklahoma (and BYU).
I served on the CFP committee for four years, so I know firsthand what a difficult job it is. You spend weeks ranking teams, discussing strengths and weaknesses, parsing through data points and — most importantly – watching games.
Remember those two-loss teams I mentioned? We beat one of them. I was there — many of you were, too. It was an electric night at Hard Rock Stadium when Miami defeated Notre Dame to kickstart this terrific season. Moments like that are what makes college football such a compelling sport.
Let’s ensure those moments matter.
Courtesy of Miami Athletics
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.